Crush
by Phanimation
Summary: After the events of the short film In a Heartbeat, Jonathan finally accepts that he has a huge crush on Sherwin. Sadly, after a few little white lies and miscommunication, he doesn't believe that the shorter boy feels the same way. Sherwin, on the other hand, can't keep Jonathan from racing through his mind. Will he admit the real reason his heart jumped out of his chest that day?
1. New Kid

**Chapter 1: New Kid**

Being the new kid was a starring role Sherwin Quinn had become very accustomed to playing. Since the day he had been born, Sherwin and his entire family bounced around from one state to another, never staying in the same city for over two years. Once those two years came to an end, Sherwin and his family were forced to uproot their whole lives and start anew in some random state across the country.

Over the course of thirteen years, Sherwin had attended eleven different schools, thus making him the residential new kid eleven different times. The reason he and his family moved around so often was because his father, Paul, was enlisted in the air force. Throughout his life, Sherwin was never given the opportunity to create real, long-lasting friendships. The fact that he moved around every two years was a large contributing factor to that, but Sherwin knew the real reason he couldn't get close to other people his age was because he was too shy and socially anxious to do so.

For better or for worst, the constant moving was about to come to an end. For good.

Despite his best efforts to block out the painful memory, Sherwin could still vividly remember the day his parents announced to him and his siblings they were getting a divorce.

Apparently his father had started an affair with a woman fifteen years younger than him, and he was abandoning his wife and children to marry her. Sherwin's mother, Christine, did not take the news well. Within the time span of a week, Christine had managed to freeze Paul's back account (after she removed half of the account's funds), sell the family car (she kept all of the profits for herself and her kids), and book six one-way flights to Golden Falls, Connecticut, her hometown.

For the family's first two weeks in Golden Falls, they spent their days living in a single motel room, desperately trying (but sadly failing), to pick up the shattered pieces of their broken home lives. Sherwin's mother cried herself to sleep almost every night, unable to explain to her youngest child, Lukas, why they had to move again and leave his daddy behind.

After two weeks of absolute hell, Christine found a new job and was finally able to move herself and her family into a beautiful six bedroom home located in one of the richest parts of town. The woman was starting to smile again. Sherwin's life was starting to feel somewhat normal again.

For the rest of the summer, the family relaxed at home, slowly forgetting the struggles that had once nearly destroyed their lives.

 _~Time Jump~_

"So Winnie," Sherwin's older sister, Melissa, started. "Are you excited for your first day of high school?"

The ginger haired boy laughed nervously. "Are you serious, Mel? Come on, you know I'm not. What is there to be excited about, anyways?"

The older girl laughed and playfully ruffled the shorter boy's curly hair. "Don't be such a Negative Nancy. You're super smart, Sherwin. School shouldn't be an issue for you."

"It's not the educational part that I'm worried about," he admitted sadly, unable to meet his sister's curious gaze. "It's the social aspect that's making me feel nervous."

Melissa gave him an understanding smile, silence filling the room as she thought about what to say next.

"Well, just look at it this way," the blonde haired teen began. "Ever since you were a baby, we've always had to switch schools. Now that you're older, and we know we'll be staying here for a long, long time, you'll finally have the chance to make some real friends. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"I'm not like you, Melissa. People don't automatically like me or want to instantly be my friend," Sherwin sighed.

Although the sixteen year old girl would never admit it out loud, she knew her brother's words were somewhat true. Melissa was blonde, skinny, nice, and she had blue eyes; she possessed all the perfect combinations to make her a stereotypical popular girl. Sherwin, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He had curly, wild, impossible red hair, freckles were splattered all across his back and face, and he was much smaller and thinner than most boys in his grade.

"Don't look for superficial people who only care about looks and social status, Winnie. Those people aren't real friends. Look for someone who's nice, genuine, someone who really sticks out to you."

"Yeah, I'll try," the younger boy replied weakly.

"Good," Melissa smiled brightly. "Now come on, let's go! We can _not_ be late for the first day of school!"

And with that, the two siblings exited the home and traveled down the long driveway. Melissa unlocked her beautiful red Jeep Cherokee (a sixteenth birthday present her mother had gifted her over the summer), and they quickly climbed in.

"You're really not excited to start your first day of high school?" she asked again.

"Not really," Sherwin said. "I don't have any friends. I'll be all alone."

"It's the first day of school, I bet loads of people will be alone without a friend in the world. Please, just try at this school Sherwin, _please_? For me and for mom? You know it'll make her life a whole lot easier if she knew you had friends to talk to and spend time with. This is going to be our home for a long time, and I want you to be comfortable here. You need friends, especially in high school."

"That's easy for you to say, Mel. You already have friends here."

Melissa sighed, incapable of countering her brother's statement this time. Over the summer, the blonde haired girl auditioned for the cheer leading team and was immediately accepted. For weeks she had been texting her cheer leading teammates, hanging out with them, going to the local mall, and even inviting them over to the house several times a week.

"I know, I know Winnie. But don't focus on that. Just listen to what I'm saying now. Find someone who's really nice, try, actually _try_ , to be friends with that person, and see where everything goes from there. And if push comes to shove and you can't find anyone to be friends with, know that you can always fall back on me and my friends."

"Okay, fine," Sherwin responded, crossing his arms in the process. "I promise that I'll try."

"Awesome!" Melissa cried excitedly.

After everything that's happened, all Melissa wanted was for her little brother to be happy. She couldn't stand the idea of him being alone in his classes. She knew Sherwin was the kind of kid who was content with isolating himself, reading a book in the corner of a crowded room, and eating lunch by himself in the bathroom or the library. Melissa knew that was no way for her brother to live his high school life. She wanted him to go out to crazy parties, hang out with friends after school. The blonde haired girl even wanted Sherwin to find himself a pretty girlfriend and spend some private time with her.

 _~Page Break~_

When the siblings arrived at Golden Falls Academy, one of Connecticut's most prestigious private schools, Sherwin was feeling more than overwhelmed.

"Come on Winnie, let's go," Melissa said, breaking the boy from his terrified trance.

"Y-Yeah," Sherwin stuttered. "I-I'm getting out now."

"Hey, don't be nervous little brother. I'm just a text message away, okay?"

"Okay big sister," he replied, but the worry still wouldn't go away.

Melissa and Sherwin walked towards the school together. If anyone asked the thirteen year old if he enjoyed his sister's company, he would instantly deny it, but deep inside of himself Sherwin knew he couldn't be doing any of this without her.

At that moment, a flock of popular looking girls approached the siblings. Sherwin glanced down at the ground, refusing to meet their stares. What if they made fun of him? What if they didn't like him?

In the past, Melissa was friends with a lot popular kids who were not too fond of Sherwin. In fact, the autumn eyed boy believed many of them actively _hated_ him. They would ruthlessly tease him behind Melissa's back, saying he was an ugly loser compared to his gorgeous sister. At school they would trip him in the corridors as he walked by or spread awful rumors about him.

When Melissa found out her so called "friends" were bullying her younger brother, she cussed them out and coldly cut them all off. After the pretty girl ceased communication with the group of jerks who tormented Sherwin, the bullying only intensified.

If you ask Melissa, or his older brother, Dylan, how many schools they've attended, they'll answer eight. As for Sherwin, he'll answer that he's been to eleven different schools. In the past, he had to leave three of his former schools due to excessive bullying. Melissa still hasn't forgiven herself for exposing Sherwin to bullies.

"Melissa!" one the girls shouted, breaking the sixteen year old's train of thought and suddenly bringing her back to reality. "Oh my gosh, you're finally here! I am literally _so_ excited and stoked to see you!"

"Jaime!" Melissa shrieked, pulling the taller girl into a tight hug. "I'm so freaking excited I found you girls! You all remember my little brother, Sherwin, right?"

 _Of course they don't,_ Sherwin chided to himself. _In their eyes I'm probably just your nerdy, ugly, loser of brother._

"How could we forget him?" another member of the group, a sweet girl named Nichole, asked kindly. She was short and thin and had a bunch of dark blue streaks in her long black hair. "He's such a cutie!"

"He takes after his older sister," Melissa joked, striking a silly pose that made Nichole laugh. Sherwin couldn't help but smile.

"So Sherwin," Vanessa, another friend of his sister that actually seemed like a decent person, began. She was above average height, had light colored skin, and her short hair was dyed completely pink. "Are you feeling nervous? Excited? Or do you feel like turning into a butterfly and escaping before class even starts? Trust me, if it's the third option, there will be no judgement on my part!"

"A little bit of all three," the short boy admitted, finally lifting his eyes off of the ground to face the group of cheerleaders. Melissa couldn't help the shining smile that appeared on her face; her little brother was making good social progress! However, neither sibling, nor any of the other girls in the group, noticed the disgusted frown that flashed across Jaime's pale face.

"Don't be nervous," Vanessa smiled at him. "But if you get super scared and turn into a butterfly, make sure to find me!"

Sherwin laughed loudly, something he hadn't done in an incredibly long time. "I'll try to stay human for the rest of the day."

"If you can't find anyone to sit with during lunch, just come and find us. We'd love for you to join us," the pink haired girl added compassionately.

A genuine grin swiftly plastered it's way onto Sherwin's face. "Thank you."

"It's no problem, sweetie," Nichole interjected. "We know how hard high school can be, and we wouldn't want to keep you and your sister apart for too long. We know how close you two are, and I'm sure she'd like to have you around so she can look out for you."

"Which is super awesome, by the way. I wish I had a sibling like that!" Vanessa stated.

Melissa's smile grew even wider. She couldn't believe her three best friends were this amazing and understanding.

"Well Sherwin, it was great talking to you, but me and my ladies should start heading to class," Jaime cut in. "The bell's about to ring any second now, and the ninth grade classes are all the way in the southern wing of the school, and our classrooms are in the northern wing."

Nichole looked at the time on her iPhone 7, a small scream escaping her throat.

"Okay little one, we have to go, like now! I have Mr. Porter this year for homeroom, and he'll kill me if I'm late to his class! He freaking hates me!"

"Why does he hate you?" Sherwin asked curiously.

Nichole chuckled and awkwardly pushed her long hair back. "Let's just say he caught me doing something extremely inappropriate last year in his classroom, and ever since then, he's had it out for me!"

"What did you do?" the ginger haired boy pushed.

"Oh no no no!" Melissa shrieked. "You are so _not_ telling my little brother that story!"

Nichole gigged. "Yeah okay, whatever you say. Now let's get going! Like I said, I can't be late to Mr. Porter's homeroom! Getting detention on the first day is not apart of my New School Year Resolution!"

"New School Year Resolution," Vanessa mouthed, causing the siblings to laugh. Again, no one noticed Jaime roll her blue eyes in annoyance.

"I'll see you later, Winnie," Melissa declared, pulling the boy into a tight hug before letting him go and sprinting off into the school.

Maybe his sister and her friends were right. Maybe this school year will be fun.

With a new sense of confidence coursing through him, Sherwin danced into the school, a hint of hope pushing him forward. He marched towards the school's eastern wing, searching for room 302, his future homeroom. When he peaked into the classroom, he realized the room was filled with seniors, not freshman.

The ginger haired boy quickly pulled out his class schedule, trying his best not to have an anxiety attack. After all, Sherwin hadn't experienced one since they left his father behind in Florida, and if he broke down now he knew he wouldn't have the emotional strength to fix himself. As his eyes scanned the page, he realized that freshman classes were held in the western wing, not in the eastern wing like he had been informed.

 _I'm so stupid!_ he screamed at himself. _So, so stupid! Why did I trick myself into believing today wouldn't be an absolute disaster? I'm literally on the other side of this gigantic school, there's no way I'll make it to homeroom on time! I'm going to walk in late, and all the other kids are going to make fun of me like they always do!_

Sherwin was on the verge of a full blown panic attack. He felt tears threatening to spill over, his hope and confidence for the new year now completely obliterated.

"Hey," someone called from behind the mortified boy.

Sherwin didn't bother to turn around. As if anybody would be trying to talk to him.

"Hey," the voice repeated.

Before Sherwin could turn around, he felt someone place a soft hand on his shoulder. The person holding onto him slowly turned the shaking boy around. Sherwin's autumn colored eyes met those of a dark haired boy with deep sea blue orbs. The boy, who looked to be around his age, had lightly tanned skin, a small perky nose, perfectly arched eyebrows, and amazingly styled hair that reminded Sherwin of his favorite character Brad Foxworth, who was from an old 1950's TV show his mother loved and binge watched quite often.

"H-Hi," Sherwin stuttered anxiously.

"You look lost," the dark haired boy stated. "I'm guessing you're not a senior?"

"You guessed correctly," Sherwin admitted. "I'm a freshman, but I'm directionally challenged and managed to get lost on the opposite side of the school."

"What homeroom are you supposed to be in?" the boy questioned.

"I'm supposed to have Mr. Harrison in room 302."

The other boy smiled. Sherwin felt his palms get sweaty. Why was this guy making him feel so weird?

"It looks like we have homeroom together. Come on, I'll help you get to class on time."

"How?" Sherwin asked. "We're all the way on the other side of the school. Plus, class starts in a few minutes. What are you doing all the way over here?"

"I enter school through the eastern wing every morning," the mysterious boy explained. "It's the closest entrance to my house."

"Okay, but I still don't understand how you expect us to get to the other side of the school from here?"

"Don't worry about it. Now, I don't believe you ever gave me your name."

"My name's Sherwin," he answered a little too eagerly.

The taller teen grinned and extended his hand out to the now blushing boy. "It's really nice to meet you, Sherwin. My name's Jonathan, but if you want, you can call me Jonny."

"Okay, Jonny," Sherwin said, nodding his head, shakily taking Jonathan's hand into his own.

Before the ginger haired boy could add to the conversation, Jonathan tightened his grip on the trembling thirteen year old's hand and started racing down the corridor.

"Woah!" the autumn eyed boy shrieked, his short legs having trouble keeping up with Jonathan's pace. Judging by the dark haired teen's speed and ability, he was clearly a student athlete. "Where are you taking me?"

"It's a shortcut!" Jonathan shouted over his shoulder. "Just trust me!"

From that moment on, Sherwin did just that. Jonathan led him into a hidden corridor the shorter boy never would have discovered on his own. It was concealed behind a bookcase that Jonathan had to shove aside before they could enter it.

"What is this place?" the shorter boy spoke.

"A secret passage way that runs through the entire school," Jonathan explained. "Don't go around telling people about it though! Remember, it's supposed to be a secret!"

Sherwin smiled as a small blush unbeknowingly spilled across his pale cheeks. This boy, who he had just met, was being nice to him. He was sharing something with him that was meant to be a secret. In some odd way, he felt special, even lucky.

"I won't," Sherwin promised quietly.

In under two minutes the two freshman boys had managed to cross from one end of the school to another, a feat which would have normally been impossible. When they reached room 302, Sherwin realized that he and Jonathan were still holding hands. For some strange reason, he couldn't bring himself to break the contact. Not yet.

"We're right on time," Jonathan noted, his grip on the shorter boy still not loosening.

"When we get in there, do you want to sit together?" Sherwin asked abruptly.

"Sure," Jonathan replied simply.

Sherwin grinned from ear to ear. Melissa was going to be so glad to hear that her little brother found a nice, genuine person.

 **End of the first chapter!**

 **Please remember to leave a review, follow this story, add it to your favorites list, and share it with others. Thanks for reading (:**

 **~Naya**


	2. Change

**Chapter 2: Change**

"Sorry," Jonathan said sheepishly as he pulled open the classroom door, gently tugging his hand out of Sherwin's tight grasp as he did so. The shorter boy couldn't stop his heart from instantaneously aching. Wait... what?

"It's fine," Sherwin answered, clearly taken aback by the entire situation.

The ginger haired teen was upset that Jonathan had slipped his hand out of his. He was even more upset with himself for feeling that way in the first place. After all, Jonathan was a _boy_ , a nice _straight_ boy. Sherwin knew he had no logical reason to be bothered by his actions... So why was he? Why did he feel this way about a boy he hardly knew? His mind took him back to the two most life altering days of his life.

 _~Flashback~_

 _A six year old Sherwin held onto his older brother's hand as they strolled down the seashore._

 _"What do you wanna do now, buddy? Do you wanna swim, or maybe go get some ice cream?"_

 _"Ice cream! Ice cream!" the little boy cheered. "I wanna get the flavor that tastes like rainbows!"_

 _Dylan laughed as he led his brother to a nearby ice cream stand called Aoilani's Ice._

 _"How may I help you today?" a beautiful Hawaiian woman named Malie questioned._

 _"I'll have two cones please. One with the rainbow swirl ice cream and the second one with strawberry."_

 _"Coming right up," Malie smiled, preparing the ice cream for the two young boys. She handed the strawberry flavor to Dylan and the rainbow cone and ice cream to Sherwin, her smile never falling._

 _"Oh no, none of that!" Malie bellowed when she saw Dylan reaching for his wallet. "Please, it's no charge today."_

 _"Awesome!" the ginger haired boy yelled excitedly._

 _"Why is that?" Dylan questioned, a grateful grin plastered across his handsome face._

 _Malie smirked and leaned in close to the then twelve year old Dylan. "Between you and me, my little sister Aolani can not stop talking about you! She has the biggest crush on you!_ _Everyday she goes on, Dylan this, Dylan that! I swear, her heart is going to burst out of her chest any day now!"_

 _A dark red blush flashed across Dylan's light skin. Malie let out a little chuckle._

 _"What's a crush?" Sherwin wondered aloud._

 _"A crush is when two people like each other, like a boy and a girl, or sometimes a girl and a girl or a boy and a boy," Malie commented._

 _"Wait, a boy can like another boy?" Sherwin asked. "If I wanted to, I could marry another boy?"_

 _"You could, if you really wanted to," the beautiful Hawaiian woman replied._

 _"Sherwin... Do you want to marry another boy?" Dylan inquired, raising an eyebrow at the young boy._

 _"I don't know. Girls are pretty and they smell good, but I don't wanna be close to one. Boys are a lot nicer. I think I like boys more than girls."_

 _Dylan stared at his little brother for a long time, unable to speak. Malie, sensing Dylan's discomfort, decided to change the topic back to her sister._

 _"Anyway, Aolani is crazy about you, Dylan! Everyday she tells me about what you wore to school, or what you said during class, or-"_

 _"MALIE!" a girl's voice cried from somewhere nearby. "Don't tell him those things!"_

 _Sherwin turned around to see a pretty Hawaiian girl who greatly resembled Malie. She had long, silky, black hair styled in perfect little ringlets, perfectly tanned skin, light brown almond colored eyes, and a nice athletic body. The look on her face was a mixture of betrayal, embarrassment, and rage._

 _"Aolani, I was just messing with Dylan. Surely he didn't mind, right, Dylan?"_

 _"R-Right," the twelve year old stuttered, kicking the sand beneath his feet. Aolani looked like she was about to break down in tears._

 _"I can't believe you did this to me," Aolani sobbed._

 _Dylan handed his ice cream cone to a confused Sherwin and quickly approached the now crying girl. Aolani turned away from him, ready to run, but Dylan reached out for her hand and pulled her close to his chest. He wiped away the girl's tears with his thumb._

 _"You have no reason to cry," Dylan stated softly._

 _"I'm crying because I'm embarrassed," Aolani deadpanned, incapable of looking her crush straight in the eyes._

 _"Don't be embarrassed."_

 _"It's hard not to be," she cried. "You don't like me back."_

 _"I never said that," Dylan told her._

 _For the first time that day, Aolani raised her eyes to meet her crush's beautiful blue orbs. Without hesitation, she leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Dylan wrapped his arms around her thin waist, effectively kissing her back._

 _Sherwin watched in utter amazement, his eyes as wide as cherry pies, his heart pounding against his tiny chest. As his older brother pulled away from the passionate kiss, both Aolani and Dylan's hearts bursts out of their chests. Malie started to scream gleefully and cry. Several beach goers stopped in their tracks and started clapping for the young couple. A few of the strangers grew teary eyed and some began to cry like Malie._

 _After the small spectacle was over, Dylan officially introduced Sherwin to Aolani as his girlfriend. Dylan and Aolani shared one last kiss before it was time to take Sherwin home. Dylan's heart, Xavier, stayed out of his chest for the rest of the day, sitting atop Dylan's shoulder._

 _"Your heart, it's outside of your body," Sherwin pointed out._

 _A lovesick Dylan bit his lip and grinned. "Yeah, it is."_

 _"Why?" he questioned._

 _"You'll understand when you're older," his older brother replied._

 _"But I want you to explain it to me nowwwwww," the little boy whined._

 _"Okay Winnie, I'll tell you, so try your best to follow along. When someone loves someone else very, very much, their heart will pop out of their chest. That's how you know you've found the person you're going to marry."_

 _"Are you going to marry Aolani tomorrow?" Sherwin asked._

 _"No, no!" the blonde haired boy laughed. "Not until we're adults. But now, I know that she's the girl I'm going to marry. She's the love of my life. Your heart only comes out for special people."_

 _"Is my heart ever going to find the love of my life, the person I'm going to marry?"_

 _"One day it will, when you're a little bit older."_

 _"So I'm going to marry a pretty girl like Aolani?" he pondered._

 _"Or you could marry a pretty boy," Dylan added. "The heart wants what it wants."_

 _"The heart wants what it wants," Sherwin repeated quietly. "I think I wanna marry a boy instead of a girl."_

 _Dylan threw his arm around his younger brother's slim shoulders. "He's out there somewhere. I can't wait to meet him, so you better tell me when you find him."_

 _-Eleven Years Later-_

 _"Mel?" Sherwin said weakly. "What's wrong with mom's heart?"_

 _His mother was curled up in a small ball on the sofa, tears racing down her swollen cheeks, her chest heaving as the woman hyperventilated. Christine's heart was currently out of her chest, shriveled up and almost completely black._

 _"It's broken, Winnie. Dad broke mom's heart."_

 _"Is it going to get better?" he questioned solemnly._

 _"I don't know," Melissa responded emotionlessly. "She's hurting really badly right now."_

 _"I thought someone's heart could only leave their chest when they fall in love?" he asked aloud._

 _"I used to think that, too."_

 _~End of Flashback~_

"Let's sit over there," the tan skinned teen instructed, breaking Sherwin away from his both beautiful and troublesome past. Jonathan was pointing at a vacant table in the far right corner of the classroom.

"Sure," the younger boy agreed quietly, awkwardly shuffling behind Jonathan's long, confident strides. As he wandered deeper into the classroom, Sherwin realized that all eyes were on him, some students going as far as sitting backwards on their chairs so they could face him. A strong wave of anxiety washed over him like a tsunami. Why were all of his peers staring at him? Was their something wrong with his appearance? Were they going to belittle him already?

"Hey, Jon," a cute brown haired girl greeted seductively, her flirtatious words thankfully drawing attention away from Sherwin's presence. "Did you have a good summer?"

"It was pretty great, how about you, Ramona?" he replied smoothly. A few girls in the room giggled.

Ramona blushed and obnoxiously started playing with her long hair, leaning forward on her desk. If Sherwin didn't know any better, which he obviously didn't, he could have sworn Ramona was trying to puff out her already plump chest. Even though she was only fourteen years old, Ramona was far more... Developed than other girls in their grade, for lack of a better word.

Sherwin felt a sharp pain in his chest, but it was swiftly replaced by relief when he realized Jonathan hadn't bothered to face Ramona.

"My summer was great, thanks for asking," she bubbled sweetly. A little _too_ sweetly for Sherwin's liking. There was no doubt in his mind that something was up with the overly joyful girl, but the ginger haired teen couldn't decipher why he felt that way to begin with.

"My parents and I went to the French Riviera again this year. I spent half of the summer half naked in my bikini," Ramona explained, laughing a little bit at the end. Sherwin had to stop himself from physically gagging. "If you want, I'd be happy to have you over sometime after school to show you my vacation photos."

"I'll have to think about it," Jonathan chuckled. Ramona frowned and sank back into her seat defeatedly. Sherwin smirked.

"What was that all about?" Sherwin whispered curiously once the two boys had taken their seats in the back.

Jonathan rolled his gorgeous ocean blue eyes, an unpleasant expression taking over his otherwise flawless face.

"The thing about Ramona is that I barely know her, but she still has the audacity to publicly hit on me and it makes me feel really uncomfortable. I swear, she's just like all the other girls at this school. Most of them think I'm cute, so they think it's okay to try and pursue me. I'm not saying having a crush on someone is bad, but when you don't know the person very well, it's kind of creepy."

"That's totally understandable," Sherwin acknowledged, trying to mask the immense amount of guilt he was feeling with a causal tone.

"Do you mind if I sit here, Jon?" a beautiful blonde haired girl asked, innocently batting her long mascara coated eyelashes. A part of Sherwin was relieved by the girl's impromtu arrival because it meant he wouldn't have to continue his increasingly hypocritical conversation with Jonathan. On the other hand, her presence most likely meant that he was going to be ignored by his only friend in the class.

Unfortunately, being ignored by others was somewhat of an adopted hobby to the ginger haired boy. His older siblings, Melissa and Dylan, were nothing like him. They were attractive, popular, social; everyone liked them, everyone wanted to be their friend. Whenever they entered a room, it was like the whole world stopped. Their personalities were charismatic, almost electric, people were instantly drawn to them.

As for his younger siblings, Chloe and Lukas, they were cute little kids who had no problem socializing with children their own age. Chloe was friends with all the other kids in her fourth grade class, and Lucas was highly favored among the other preschoolers.

"It's a free country Shandy, you can sit wherever you want," Jonathan retorted, ripping the younger boy away from his slightly depressing thoughts.

"Oh, you're so funny, Jon!" Shandy giggled, taking the seat across from the blue eyed teen. "Emma, come sit next to me! I saved you a seat!"

A girl with short black hair, presumably Emma, rose from her seat at another table and took the seat across from Sherwin.

"Hey everyone," Emma said cheerfully, a quaint smile pulling at her pink colored lips. Her smile grew even wider as her eyes landed on Sherwin. "I don't think I've ever seen you around before."

"You haven't," Sherwin remarked nervously. "I'm new to town. I moved to Golden Falls over the summer."

A lopsided grin emerged on Emma's pale face. "Well, aren't you interesting? What's your name, new kid?"

"My name's Sherwin Quinn."

Emma grinned and instantly extended her hand. "My name's Emilia Haze, but everyone calls me Emma. It's super cool to meet you, Sherwin."

Sherwin apprehensively shook Emma's hand, his guard on high alert. Was this what making friends felt like, or was it all some type of sick twisted game? It was too early for him to doubtlessly determine Emma's motives.

The black haired girl effortlessly held Sherwin's hand, her smile never faltering. Sherwin was too preoccupied with Emma's newfound attention to realize Jonathan had gone silent. The tan skinned teen leaned back in his chair, his face blank and devoid of emotion.

"Good morning class!" Mr. Taylor boomed as her entered the classroom. "It looks like you all managed to make it to class in a nice, timely manner."

"Yeah, all of us except you, Taylor," a boy from somewhere in the back of the class proclaimed.

Sherwin had heard loads of positive things about Mr. Taylor over the summer, mostly from Melissa and her friends. He was a young, attractive teacher who was the perfect combination of nerdy and strict. All the girls adored him, and the guys viewed him as more of an older brother figure than a teacher.

"In my defense," Mr. Taylor began, causing the students to laugh and snicker. According to Nichole, it was one of the teacher's infamous catchphrases. "Last night your favorite teacher may or may not have had an adult sleepover, I woke up extremely late and couldn't find my shoes, _and_ there was major traffic jam on the fifteen. It's not my fault the universe was working against me!"

A wave of _ohhh's_ rippled throughout the classroom. Even Sherwin managed to crack a smile.

"Did you ever manage to find your shoes?" the same boy from before questioned.

"In a mailbox, yes," Mr. Taylor chuckled, the rest of the class following his lead, including Sherwin. "But enough about me! Today is all about you guys!"

A collective groan chorused amongst the students.

"Blah blah yeah, school sucks, meeting new people _sucks,_ " Mr. Taylor mocked. "Come on, it won't be that bad! It's the first day of classes and you guys are already killing my vibe! Anyways, before we can move forward to more team building orientated activities, I'd like to introduce you to our newest student. Sherwin, could you please join me at the front of the class?"

The ginger haired boy froze. Despite previously being the new kid eleven different times, he absolutely _loathed_ introducing himself to his peers. Half of the kids didn't care enough to look in his direction, and the other half either made rude remarks or degraded his unusual looks.

"Hey," Jonathan whispered so only Sherwin could hear him. The tan skinned teen found the younger boy's hand underneath the table and gently squeezed it. "You're going to be fine, okay? Now get up there."

Sherwin climbed out of his seat, his heart pounding against his chest a thousand times per minute.

"Sherwin is new to the Golden Falls School District," Mr. Taylor explained when the autumn eyed boy finally reached the front of the class. "He's the only new student to join our school district this year, so I'd like you all to give him a loud, Golden Falls welcome!"

Mr. Taylor stepped aside, clapping and genuinely smiling at the anxious teen. The second person to clap was Jonathan (quite loudly), and everyone else followed his movements. Emma's applause roared throughout the classroom, rivaled only by Jonathan's. Once all the other claps had died down, it was like the two students were having a competition over who could maintain their applause the longest.

"Okay, okay," Mr. Taylor intervened. "Sherwin is a fascinating young man worthy of your complete and utter attention, we get it."

Sherwin stood there in silence, too embarrassed to react. Emma blushed and immediately stopped clapping. Jonathan continued for a moment longer, a smug smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. He had won.

"Anyways, back to you Sherwin. Would you care to introduce yourself to the class and share one interesting thing about yourself?"

"I'm Sherwin Quinn," the short boy began nervously, his palms already sweating. "And I just moved to Golden Falls from Key West, Florida."

A few students nodded their heads in approval, clearly impressed.

"Thanks for sharing, Sherwin, you can head back to your seat now."

The pale teen nodded his head and casually walked back to his seat, a rush of confidence coursing through his body.

 _So far, so great,_ Sherwin thought to himself, smiling at the fact that his classmates somewhat admired him.

"You really moved here from the Keys?" Emma asked as he sat back down.

"Yes, but I only lived there for a year," he clarified.

"That is _so_ cool," Emma expressed. "My family has a vacation home down in the Keys. Maybe sometime we could go down together and see the kilos?"

"Where did you live before Florida?" Jonathan interrupted. Emma crossed her arms around her chest, glaring at the academy's golden boy with pure hatred.

"Now that we have that covered, it's time for the first activity of the day," Mr. Taylor announced, preventing Sherwin from answering Jonathan's question. It didn't matter, anyway. He didn't want Shandy or Emma to hear about his past. It was too personal to share with just anyone.

"For this assignment I'm going to need you all to break off into pairs and stand up."

"Sherwin, do you wanna be my partner?" Emma asked sweetly, already stretching out her hand to him.

"Sorry, he's already mine," Jonathan declared, wrapping his fingers around Sherwin's thin wrist and taking him away from the girls. Emma angrily huffed. Shandy's light blue eyes studied Sherwin's body, a look of disgust taking over her face.

"I apologize for their behavior," Jonathan told the shorter boy. "I don't like working with desperate girls."

"Yeah, me either, it's so weird," Sherwin went on, desperate himself to appear cool in Jonathan's eyes.

"Now that you've found your partner, I want you two to sit down together and share a few things about yourself. After you're finished, I want you and your partner to come to the front of the class and share the most interesting fact they told you about themselves. Simple enough?"

"Yes," the class answered in unison.

"So," Jonathan started, tugging on Sherwin's hand to regain his attention. "Where did you live before you moved to Florida?"

The younger boy let out a single sigh. "I've basically lived everywhere."

The blue eyed teen raised a perfectly arched dark eyebrow. "Tell me about it?"

Sherwin felt his breath hitch in his throat. He didn't want to get too personal with Jonathan and accidentally freak him out, or worse, push him away.

"Or don't. If it's too personal, I don't want to force you to relive certain things," he reassured him, a kind smile painted across his gorgeous face.

"No, it's not that," Sherwin stated. "It's just, well, it's a lot to remember, and most of it is really, really personal... But I'm not afraid to share my past with you, Jonathan. I just don't want to weird you out or anything like that."

The older boy beamed, his eyes filled with true happiness. "You don't freak me out, Sherwin. I like you. On another note, I thought I told you to call me Jonny?"

A dark pink blush spilled across Sherwin's heated cheeks. Was this guy for real? Did he like him, or did he like _like_ him?

"Sorry, Jonny," he sincerely apologized. "And just so you know, I've moved nine different times."

The blue eyed teen literally felt his jaw drop. "You've moved _nine_ different times? How is that even possible? Why did you move around so much?"

Sherwin laughed and nervously raked a hand through his messy ginger curls. Jonathan's legitimate interest and eagerness made his heart swell inside his chest.

"Going in order, I was born in Maine, but my family and I only lived there for a year before we moved across the country to Oregon. We lived in Oregon until I was two, and then we moved back across the nation to North Carolina. When I turned four, it was time to move again, and that time we took a ten hour plane flight to Hawaii. We lived there for two years, moved to California, stayed there for a year, and then we moved to New York."

Jonathan noticed the way Sherwin's voice positively changed when he mentioned New York and California, but he didn't comment on it. Unbeknownst to him, whilst living in those two states, Sherwin had discovered he was gay. Yes, he was still too young to actually understand what being gay meant back then, but the experiences he had while living in New York and California helped him realize his sexuality a little later on in life.

It wasn't until he was ten and living in Alaska did he comprehend his romantic feelings towards males his age. At first, he didn't feel any different from other boys his age. Sadly, his view on the world changed greatly that year. Alaska is widely known for being one of the most homophobic states in the nation, and it didn't take Sherwin long to understand how the world truly felt about people like him. Whilst living in the red state he heard countless homophobic slurs like faggot, queer, and fairy, just to name a few.

When his family moved to the state of Alabama, his views on the world only got worse. Gay people were not only teased and bullied, but they were physically attacked at his school or in public places. To make matters worse, no one ever stopped a group of straight boys from attacking a gay boy. Everyone just stood aside and let it happen, as if the numerous assaults on gay men and teens were justifiable crimes. The world disgusted him.

"After that we lived in Alaska for a year, and then in Alabama for two years. After Alabama we relocated to Florida, and now I'm finally here in Connecticut," Sherwin finished, rushing through the past three miserable years of his life.

"Damn," Jonathan spoke, fascination dripping from his voice. "Does that mean you're going to move again in two years?"

The distraught look on Jonathan's face nearly made Sherwin's frantically beating heart break. Why did he look so sad?

"No, we're going to be in Golden Falls for a while," he responded. The blue eyed teen's expression returned to one of glee. "You see, my dad was a notorious serial killer, but now that he's out of the picture we have no reason to run anymore."

The older boy laughed as he placed a hand on Sherwin's shoulder and lightly squeezed it. His hand lingered on Sherwin's body a little longer than it should have, but the curly haired boy didn't mind. Not one bit.

"Dark humor, I like it. But in all seriousness, why did your family move around so much?"

Sherwin couldn't stop the stupid melancholy look from taking over his features. Jonathan mentally kicked himself for making him upset.

"My parents got a divorce this summer," he confessed. "My mom grew up in Golden Falls, so she moved us back here to be close to her family and to start over."

"I'm really, really sorry, Sherwin. I had no idea."

"Don't worry about it. I'm trying not to be sad about it anymore. You can't change what's already been done, so why dwell on it? Change is inevitable."

"That's true," Jonathan agreed, still angry at himself for upsetting his friend.

"Well, now it's your turn to tell me something interesting about yourself," Sherwin said, desperate to change the topic of the conversation.

"I guess the most interesting thing about me is that I play three sports, one for each season of the school year. I play football in the fall, soccer in the winter, and tennis in the spring."

"Wow," Sherwin awed in total bewilderment. "That's crazy cool, Jonny. At my old school tennis was the one thing I was good at."

Jonathan grinned. "Did you play for your middle school's team?"

"I did, actually," Sherwin replied. "They also let me practice with the high school team sometimes."

"We should practice together then," Jonathan suggested. "I know tennis season is a couple of months away, but if you want we could do the pairs games together? I've been looking for a partner."

The ginger haired boy rapidly shook his head. "I would love that."

By the time the activity was over, Sherwin learned that Jonathan had two older siblings, Jessica and Jason, his father was a wealthy business man who owned half of the town's land properties, and every year he and his family went on vacation to some exotic island or nation. Jonathan discovered that Sherwin knew how to play three instruments (the drums, guitar, and saxophone), he was the middle child of five siblings, and Hawaii was the best place he had ever lived.

"Okay class, I'm sure that was more than enough time to get to know your partner!" Mr. Taylor hollered. "Now, would anyone like to volunteer to share what they learned with the class?"

"We'll do it," Jonathan announced casually. The tan skinned teen swiftly stood up and gently pulled Sherwin to his feet. The shorter boy felt his heart hammer at the mere idea of Jonathan willingly putting his hands on him.

"Now tell me, what's the most interesting thing you learned about your partner?" Mr. Taylor asked when they reached the front of the class.

"It's hard to pick just one," Jonathan conveyed. "Everything I learned about my partner was incredibly interesting, but I'd have to say the fact that he's an advanced tennis player and that the best place he's ever lived is Hawaii are my favorites."

Once again, an impressed chorus of _ohhh's_ sounded throughout the classroom. This was the most positive first day Sherwin's ever had at a new school. The first class of the day was almost over, and he still hadn't been made fun of or bullied.

"What about you, Sherwin? What's the most interesting thing you learned about your partner?"

"I learned that Jonny's also a really good tennis player and that his family goes on vacation together once a year. Last year they went to Bora Bora, and the year before that they visited Kenya."

" _Jonny_?" Shandy grumbled beneath her breath. "Who the hell does he think he is?"

"As if you should be talking," Emma complained just as bitterly. "Your man is hogging Sherwin all to himself. It feels like I can't get a second alone with him."

"I know," Shandy groaned. "It's super aggravating."

"Tell me something I don't know," Emma snarled.

Jonathan and Sherwin took their seats in the back of the classroom. As the rest of the groups presented, Emma tried to get Sherwin's attention, but all of her pitiful attempts were unsuccessful due to Jonathan's strong attitude.

"It looks like that was the last group of the day," Mr. Taylor announced, the bell indicating the end of first period ringing soon after. "For those of you who don't have my history class later in the day, I'll see you all tomorrow. Have a wonderful first day!"

"So Sherwin," Emma purred, finally getting the ginger haired boy's attention. "What class do you have next?"

"I have P.E. with Mrs. Vogel."

Emma's seductive smile fell. Jonathan grinned.

"It looks like we have P.E. together."

"Dammit," Shandy whined. "I have math next period with Mr. Rivera and I am _not_ looking forward to it."

"I have art with Mrs. Franco," Emma shared.

"I should get going," Sherwin stated. "I have no idea where the gym is and I'm not in the mood for nearly being late again."

"Let's go," Jonathan added. "I'll take you to the gym."

Emma and Shandy followed the boys as they exited the classroom without another word, leaving them behind.

"I _hate_ Sherwin," the blonde haired girl declared. "He's making it so hard to get close to Jonathan."

"Oh please!" Emma shouted. "If anything, Jonathan's the problem, not Sherwin! He seriously _can't_ stop talking to him! Like, he needs to shut up already!"

"Whatever," Shandy grumbled. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

Shandy pulled out her iPhone and typed out a text message to her older sister.

 _im hella annoyed. -Shandy 8:47 AM_

 _wats the matter little sister? whose ass do i have 2 kick? -Jaime 8:47 AM_

 _this new kid in my class sherwin or sheldon or whatever. hes super irritating, and worst of all, he wont leave jon alone! -Shandy 8:48 AM_

 _w8... Sherwin? skinny white kid, red hair, kinda nerdy? -Jaime 8:48 AM_

 _THATS HIM! -Shandy 8:48 AM_

 _UGHHHHHH I HATE HIM! -Jaime 8:48 AM_

 _w8 y do u hate him!? -Shandy 8:48 AM_

 _its a long story ughhh but he's soooo annoying! -Jaime 8:49 AM_

 _hes getting in the way of me and Jon :( -Shandy 8:49 AM_

 _dont worry little sister, he wont be in ur way for long ((((: -Jaime 8:49 AM_

 _wat are you gonna do to him? (; -Shandy 8:50 AM_

 _blackmail my precious lil sister, blackmail. just b patient. gimme some time and he'll be history! -Jaime 8:50 AM_

 _i cant wait xoxo -Shandy 8:50 AM_

And with that, the blonde haired girl tucked her cellphone back into her front pocket, a wicked grin etched onto her face.

 **End of another chapter!**

 **After three failed attempts at writing this monstrous 5,000+ word chapter, and five hours of frustration, it's finally complete! First, I'd like to thank everyone who left a review for this story. Reading them makes me so happy and they always inspire me to continue writing. I lose motivation quite often, but reading reviews for this story keeps me going. It literally takes me hours to finish one chapter because I have to draft the chapter myself, proofread everything, and edit the entire thing by myself and it's very time consuming.**

 **Secondly, I'd like to give a special thanks to everyone who has this story under their favorites, and to those who follow this story. Your ongoing support means the world to me and I honestly can't express how grateful I am to all of you.**

 **Anyway, if you want to be notified when the next chapter of this story gets published, don't be afraid to follow me. Please make sure to share this story with your friends, and reviews are greatly appreciated and encouraged.**

 **~Naya**


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